N I G H T B R I N G E R . S E
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WITCHCRAFT
Witchcraft is the use of supposed magic powers, generally to harm people or to damage their property. A witch is a person believed to have recieved such powers from evil spirits. From earliest times, people in all parts of the world have belived in witches. According to some scholars, more than half the people of the world today think witches can influence their lives.
hrough the centuries, witchcraft as practiced in countries with a European culture has differed from witchcraft elsewhere. European witchcraft is anti-Christian and involves an association with the Devil. For example, a person wanting to be a witch might sell his or her soul to the Devil in exchange for magic powers.
On the other hand, witchcraft in Africa and the West Indies and among the Indians of North America does not involve the Devil. Most of the time, such non-European witchcraft seeks to harm people. But it may also be used to help people. For example, a person in love may ask a witch for a love potion (drink) to give the loved one. Drinking the potion will supposedly make the loved one return to giver's feelings.
The word witch comes from the Anglo-Saxon word wicca, meaning wise one or magician. Originally a witch was either a man or a woman who supposedly had supernatural powers. But through the years, only women came to be considered witches. Men with similar powers were called sorcerers, warlocks or wizards.
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